2006 Upper Deck Ovation #99 Cole Hamels

Phillies 7, Astros 1
Spring Training Game 16 - Sunday Afternoon, March 10th in Kissimmee
Record - 7-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels showed he's ready for the season to begin as he pitched five strong innings in the Phillies 7-1 victory over the Astros.

What It Means:  With the Astros moving to the A.L. West this season, this is the last time these two teams will play each other until 2014.  That seems crazy.

What Went Right:  Hamels improved his record to 2-0 and now owns a spring ERA of 0.90.  Freddy Galvis doubled (for the fifth time) and enjoyed a three-hit day.  Michael Young and Laynce Nix each had two hits and Erik Kratz contributed a two-run double.

Featured Card:  I'm on a roll with my Topps Phillies project, and my 2005 Topps Phillies post is scheduled to be published next Sunday morning.  In preparation for writing a 2006 Topps Phillies post, I spent some time with my 2006 Phillies binder this afternoon.  I came across the Hamels card featured here, which I would have sworn I'd never seen before and proving once again that it's fun to pull out binders of older cards and browse through them every once in a while.  You never know what you're going to find.  I wonder what "new" cards await me in my 2007 Phillies binder?

Camp Head Count:  51 minus 4 = 47.  As announced over the weekend, the Phillies optioned out pitchers Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin, and outfielder Zach Collier.  Catcher Cameron Rupp was also reassigned.

2004 Topps Phillies

2004 Topps #1, #384, #420 and #35

It was fun to be a Phillies fan in 2004.  It wasn't always necessarily fun to watch the Phillies play, but it was fun to be a fan.  I was absolutely giddy throughout the '04 season each and every time I entered Citizens Bank Park.  It was brand new, it was gorgeous, and it belonged to the Phillies.

The Set

2004 Topps #1 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  There are 366 cards in series one, another 366 cards in series two and 221 cards in the traded series.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  For the first time since 1997, Topps went back to base cards with a white border.  And for the first time since 1988, Topps displayed each player's team name in large capital letters across the top of the cards.  Topps took the tiny-player-in-the-corner concept (first used on its 1973 and 1976 cards) to a whole new level with its 2004 set.  On every player's card in the bottom left corner, is a small silver foil outline of the player's larger photo.  Looking at the design a little closer now, I'm thinking it's probably one of the toughest Topps designs from the past 60 years for which to create a custom card template.  I wouldn't even know where to start if I were to try to recreate the little silver foil mini player for each card for a future Chachi set.  Another first, and perhaps my favorite part about the fronts of the cards, is the inclusion of each player's uniform number within the mini player silver outline thingy.

Notable competition:  As was the case in the prior several years, Topps, Fleer, Playoff and Upper Deck each released dozens of baseball card sets.  Over the next few years, the baseball card landscape would change dramatically as first Fleer, then Playoff and eventually Upper Deck would disappear.

2004 Topps #152, #117, #76 and #69

2004 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phillies fell short of the postseason once again, finishing with a record of 86-76 - ten games behind the Braves in the N.L. East and six games behind the Astros for the N.L. Wild Card.

Key players:  Jim Thome (.274, 42 home runs, 105 RBIs) and Bobby Abreu (.301, 30 home runs, 105 RBIs) paced the offense with David Bell (.291, 18 home runs, 77 RBIs) and Pat Burrell (.257, 24 home runs, 84 RBIs) enjoying nice come-back seasons.  The homer-friendly new ballpark contributed to a record nine players with double digit home runs - Thome, Abreu, Burrell, Bell, Mike Lieberthal (17), Placido Polanco (17), Jimmy Rollins (14), Chase Utley (13) and Jason Michaels (10).  New acquisition Eric Milton led the pitching staff with 14 wins, although his 4.75 ERA is a testament to his struggles throughout the season.  Injuries slowed new closer Billy Wagner (21 saves) and he shared ninth inning duties with Tim Worrell (19 saves).

Key events:  The big event was the opening of Citizens Bank Park and the promise of a new era of Phillies baseball.  Injuries to Vicente Padilla, Randy Wolf, Wagner, Burrell and Polanco played a huge part in the team's struggles.  The disappointing season cost manager Larry Bowa his job as he was dismissed with two games left to go in the season.  On the positive side, Thome hit his 400th career home run on June 14th and Bell hit for the cycle on June 28th.

2004 Phillies in 2004 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 33 Phillies cards in the base set and another 7 Phillies cards in the Traded & Rookies set.

Who's in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#152 Mike Lieberthal (c), #1 Jim Thome (1b), #117 Placido Polanco (2b), #76 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #35 David Bell (3b), #420 Pat Burrell (lf), #69 Marlon Byrd (cf), #384 Bobby Abreu (rf)

2004 Topps #488, #551, #11 and #222

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#488 Eric Milton, #551 Brett Myers, #11 Kevin Millwood, #222 Randy Wolf, #59 Vicente Padilla

For the third year in a row, Topps went 13 for 13 in including cards of the eight main position players and five main starting pitchers.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2004 - 11 cards

#181 Jason Michaels, #434 Doug Glanville, #445 Tomas Perez, #468 Chase Utley, #493 Ricky Ledee, #561 Shawn Wooten, #571 Roberto Hernandez, #618 Todd Pratt, #630 Rheal Cormier, #T15 Billy Wagner, #T113 Jim Crowell

2004 Topps Traded #T113

How in the world did Topps decide to issue a card for Crowell?  Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but Crowell - a journeyman middle reliever - is the perfect example of the kind of player Topps typically shuts out of its sets.  Crowell appeared in two games with the Reds in 1997 and then wouldn't make it back to the Majors until the Phillies called him up for four games in May.  Somehow Crowell, who was assigned #75 as a non-roster invitee in Spring Training and kept the number for his May call-up, ended up with a base card in the Traded & Rookies set.

• Base cards of players who didn't play with Phillies in 2004 - 7 cards

#68 Carlos Silva, #182 Terry Adams, #202 Jose Mesa, #T146 Danny Gonzalez, #T179 Lee Gwaltney, #T187 Rob Tejada, #T205 Terry Jones

Adams and Mesa left the team via free agency following the 2003 season and Silva was part of the deal with the Twins that brought Milton to Philadelphia.  Of the prospects receiving cards in the traded series, only Tejada spent time with the Phillies, appearing in 26 games with the club in 2005.

• Base cards of players appearing on Future Stars cards - 1 card, #328 Ryan Madson and Elizardo Ramirez
• Phillies appearing on Season Highlights cards - 1 card, #333 Kevin Millwood
• Phillies appearing on National League Leaders cards - 2 cards, #345 Jim Thome (Home Run Leaders) and #346 Jim Thome (RBI Leaders)
• Phillies appearing on multi-player combo cards - 1 card, #695 Jim Thome and Mike Schmidt (South Philly Sluggers)
• Phillies appearing on Sporting News All-Stars cards - 1 card, #727 Randy Wolf
• Phillies appearing on 2004 Draft Pick cards - 1 card, #T73 Greg Golson
• Team card - 1 card, #659
• Manager card - 1 card, #288 Larry Bowa

2004 Topps Traded #T15, 2004 Topps #59, #630 and #468

Who's out:  Topps actually did another fantastic job with player selection with this set.  The biggest omission is reliever Worrell who should have had a Phillies card in the traded set.  (Again, Crowell gets a card but Worrell doesn't?  I don't get it.)  Cory Lidle was acquired from the Reds in August, so I understand why he was left out.  Other omissions include relievers Amaury Telemaco (42 games, 4.31 ERA) and Geoff Geary (33 games, 5.44 ERA).

Phillies on other teams:  Worrell (#38 with the Giants), Wagner (#145 with the Astros) and Lidle (#528 with the Reds) appear on cards with their original teams.

What's he doing here:  Other than the four prospects in the traded series and reliever Crowell, there aren't any puzzling inclusions this year.  What is puzzling however is the use of a photo of Wagner covering first in a Spring Training drill for his first Topps base card as a Phillie.  It's not a very closer-ish shot.

2004 Topps #181

Cards that never were candidates:  As mentioned previously, Worrell, Lidle, Telemaco and Geary are good candidates for cards that never were.  I'd also give interim manager Gary Varsho a card.  Varsho took over at the helm for the final two games of the season after Bowa was fired, guiding the team to a 1-1 record.  And hot prospect Ryan Howard made his Major League debut on September 1st.  Howard could have easily replaced any of the other prospects who ended up with cards in the traded series.
Favorite Phillies card:  With all due respect to Michaels and his comically huge glove, I've always loved the card featuring Thome and Schmidt together during the closing ceremony of Veterans Stadium.

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps used the design again for its Chrome (shiny), Opening Day (gray borders) and its Retired Signature set.

Did You Know?:  Similar to last week, this isn't so much of a "did you know" feature as it is a "check this out" kind of thing.  Jenna and I travelled to Montreal in September 2004 to witness a few of the last home games in the existence of the Montreal Expos.  It was a surreal scene, as there were seemingly more protesters outside Olympic Stadium than inside the actual stadium watching the ballgame.  The Expos were destined to move to Washington for the 2005 season and being younger (and childless) we decided to head north of the border for the Phillies-Expos series on September 24th, 25th and 26th.  I remember a few things distinctly about the "ballpark" experience - it was dark, the food was awful and it the atmosphere felt more like a JV high school basketball game than a professional baseball game.  Still, I miss the Expos.  (Click to enlarge.)

1995 Collector's Choice #364 Fernando Valenzuela

Rays 15, Phillies 7
Spring Training Game 15 - Saturday Afternoon, March 9th in Clearwater
Record - 6-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  Shaky defense and a shaky bullpen again led to another spring loss as the Rays dismantled the Phillies, 15-7.

What It Means:  It was a sloppy game that got completely out of hand by the time the bullpen entered the picture.

What Went Wrong:  B.J. Rosenberg had the toughest day, allowing four earned runs in a third of an inning and raising his spring ERA to 24.30.  On the bright side, Ryan Howard hit his fourth home run and Ben Revere enjoyed a three-hit day.

Featured Card:  I thought this picture tweeted by Dale Murphy was cool as it featured Murphy and fellow former Phillie Fernando Valenzuela throwing out the ceremonial first pitches before Friday night's USA/Mexico World Baseball Classic game.  Murphy and Valenzeula are both serving as coaches for their respective teams.

Valenzuela actually received a decent share of Phillies cards in 1994 and 1995, including this card from the 1995 Collector's Choice set.

Camp Head Count:  59 minus 2 and then another 6 = 51.  The first cuts of the spring came before the game today as outfielder Joe Mather was released and pitching prospect Adam Morgan was reassigned to minor league camp.  Mather went 1 for 11 in 8 games this spring, and he was going to have a tough time cracking the starting line-up of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

After the game, the Phils made several more cuts.  Pitchers J.C. Ramirez and Kyle Simon, catcher Tommy Joseph, infielders Cody Asche and Michael Martinez were all reassigned to minor league camp while reliever Joe Savery was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Todd Zolecki also tweeted that pitchers Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin, along with outfielder Zach Collier will be optioned out on Monday.

2013 Topps Heritage Phillies vs. 1964 Topps Phillies

2013 Topps Heritage #135

Rays 3, Phillies 2
Spring Training Game 14 - Friday Afternoon, March 8th in Port Charlotte
Record - 6-7-1

One Sentence Summary:  In a bit of a pitcher's dual, the Rays came out on top over the Phillies, 3-2.

What It Means:  We're one game closer to the regular season.

What Went Wrong:  Starter Kyle Kendrick tired in the third and allowed the only three Rays runs.

On the positive side, Kevin Frandsen and Domonic Brown both continued their hot springs.  Frandsen had two more hits to raise his spring average to .385 while Brown's two hits raised his average to .424. I'm especially glad to see Brown having a strong spring, as this is definitely a make or break year for the young outfielder.

Featured Card:  Right on schedule, packs of 2013 Topps Heritage showed up at our local Target on Tuesday and I procured my first packs of the year.  The Topps Heritage sets have been steadily working their way through past Topps designs starting with the 1952 design in the inaugural Heritage set released back in 2001.  We're up to 1964 this year, and in my opinion, the set doesn't disappoint.

Last year, I went through the process of seeing how well Topps matched up Phillies in the Heritage set to those found in the original 1963 set.  I decided to do the same thing this year and unfortunately Topps didn't do as good a job in the matching department.  To clarify, any specific number belonging to a Phillie in both 1964 and 2013 is considered a "Hit."  As is the matching of new Phillies with a counterpart from their old team in the original 1964 set.  For this reason, new center fielder and former Twin Ben Revere is considered a "Hit" since his card number from the 2013 Heritage set matches up with Harmon Killebrew (of the Twins) in the original 1964 set.

Last year, Topps had 25 matches and this year there's only 11. The biggest reason for the year to year drop off is that there are far fewer (27 vs. 15) Phillies in the Heritage set this year.  Here are a few other random thoughts on the Heritage set:

• Night Owl already covered this, but the card stock is different this year.  It doesn't completely take away from my enjoyment of the cards, but I sincerely wish Topps would consider bringing back the old honest to goodness thick cardboard stock.
• There are 587 cards in a complete 1964 Topps set and only 500 in the 2013 Topps Heritage set.  Topps should just match the number of cards in the original set with its Heritage releases.
• There are no team cards or checklists within the 2013 Heritage set.  Just like the original set, there should be.
• The set features the first official Phillies cards for Michael Young, Ben Revere and Steven Lerud.

Memory Lane
2012 Topps Heritage Phillies vs. 1963 Topps Phillies
1964 Topps Phillies

2013 Topps Turkey Red #89 Cliff Lee

Twins 10, Phillies 6
Spring Training Game 13 - Thursday Afternoon, March 7th in Clearwater
Record - 6-6-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Twins came from behind and roughed up the bullpen in a 10-6 victory over the Phillies.

What It Means:  One of the big things that concerns me at this point in the spring is that two of the guys the Phillies were relying on within their new and improved bullpen - leftys Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes - have struggled mightily.  Horst owns a 14.40 ERA while Valdes' ERA is slightly more respectable at  7.36.

What Went Wrong:  After three innings, the Phils led by a score of 6-1, but the bullpen coughed up the lead and the game.  Darin Ruf had his first decent outing of the spring, going 2 for 4 with three RBIs.  Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks exploded with three home runs and six RBIs.

Cliff Lee pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five.  Both of the runs he allowed came via the long ball.

Featured Card:  Before I dive head first into a Topps Heritage lovefest, I wanted to at least mention the other Topps set recently released.  Topps Turkey Red is a 100-card set released exclusively online through the Topps website.  Each 11-card box contained 10 cards plus one autographed card for $20.  I had absolutely no desire to purchase a box of these cards from Topps, but I'll be more than happy to pay a few bucks (or less) each for the seven Phillies cards included within the set.

The set is reminiscent of past Topps Turkey Red releases, and the Phillies cards feature all posed shots taken last year in Clearwater.

2013 Topps Chasing History #CH-1 Roy Halladay

Phillies 6, Nationals 3
Spring Training Game 12 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 6th in Clearwater
Record - 6-5-1

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay threw four scoreless innings against the N.L. East favorite Nationals as the Phils won, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies are above .500 for the first time in what seems like forever.  Sure, it's only Spring Training, but I'll take it.

What Went Right:  Catching prospect Tommy Joseph looked fantastic in this game, going 3 for 4, catching a couple of tough pop-ups in windy conditions and throwing out a baserunner.  Domonic Brown continued his good spring with two more hits.

Featured Card:  Halladay pitched a good game, but the thing everyone was talking about after the game was his pitch that sailed behind the back of Nationals DH Tyler Moore.  The innning before Moore's at-bat, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg drilled Chase Utley in the leg with a pitch.  After the game, Halladay clarified that the ball he threw behind Moore's back had slipped, but then he went on to mention, "As a staff, we need to do a good job of protecting [our hitters].  Spring training you're not necessarily trying to do it.  But it wouldn't have been the worst thing had it got him after hitting one of our good guys."  It's stuff like this that makes me think the '13 Phils have a little bit of chip on their collective shoulders, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Our closest Target had Topps Heritage in stock yesterday (more on that soon), but I wasn't lucky enough to pull Halladay's short-printed card from the set.  The card featured here is one of the Chasing History insert cards found within packs of Topps Series One.

1985 Cigna Phillies #1 Juan Samuel

Dominican Republic 15, Phillies 2
Spring Exhibition Game - Tuesday Afternoon, March 5th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels and three pitching prospects served as a batting practice pitchers for the Dominican team as they prepared for the World Baseball Classic.

What It Means:  Hopefully this is the most brutal loss of the spring.  It was definitely brutal.  Apparently, however, this is a true exhibition game in every sense of the word as the results and the statistics don't count in the overall Spring Training numbers.

What Went Wrong:  The Dominican team banged out 28 hits - 12 coming off Hamels in his 2 2/3 innings of work.  Laynce Nix drove in both runs for the Phils with a home run in the second and an RBI-single in the ninth.

Featured Card:  Current Phillies first base coach Juan Samuel is serving as a coach with the Dominican Republic during the WBC.  This is Samuel's card from the odd-sized and oddball Cigna Phillies set, sponsored by Cigna Corporation and distributed in 1985 by various local Philadelphia police departments.

1964 Topps #104 Art Mahaffey

Phillies 5, Pirates 0
Spring Training Game 11 - Monday Afternoon, March 4th in Bradenton
Record - 5-5-1

One Sentence Summary:  John Lannan and a trio of relievers combined for the shutout and Michael Young drove in a pair of runs as the Phillies defeated the Pirates, 5-0.

What It Means:  It was another good showing for the Phillies and their pitchers.  Lannan, the presumed fifth starter, improved his spring record to 2-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.13.

What Went Right:  Lannan pitched well, but the Phillies radio team was very impressed with Mike Adams' perfect inning in the fourth.  Adam Morgan and Raul Valdes pitched the final five scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  Art Mahaffey and his 1964 Topps card have nothing to do with yesterday's game but I've got Heritage fever!  I've been browsing eBay and the Topps Facebook page, enjoying pictures of the new cards that have hopefully made their way to a Target near me.  It's safe to say that Heritage is now the set I look forward to the most on an annual basis.  We won't be collecting the set this year, but a blaster or two is definitely in my future plans.

I'll look to track down all the Philllies cards in the set, and the Beatles card in the News Flashback set will be added to my collection as well.  One small quibble about the Beatles card - Couldn't Topps have found a picture of the Beatles from 1964 with George Harrison included?

2012 Topps Archives 1967 Topps Stickers #67S-RH Ryan Howard

Phillies 13, Blue Jays 5
Spring Training Game 9 - Sunday Afternoon, March 3rd in Clearwater

Orioles 12, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 10 - Sunday Afternoon, March 3rd in Sarasota
Record - 4-5-1

One Sentence Summary:  The offense continued to shine in Clearwater while the pitchers took a beating in Sarasota.

What It Means:  The Phillies split their squad yesterday, adding a win and a loss to their spring tally.

What Went Right/Wrong:  Domonic Brown hit a monster home run in the fifth inning, but it was Ryan Howard's shot - that completely left the ballpark - that people will remember from the Phillies victory against the Jays.  Kevin Frandsen went two for four with four runs scored.

Against the Orioles, Kyle Kendrick allowed four runs in his two innings of work.  Jeremy Horst was pounded in his 2/3 of an inning, giving up six runs and raising his spring ERA to 17.18.  Michael Young and Freddy Galvis both homered in the losing cause.

Featured Card:  Howard has to be smiling these days.  He has played every day this spring and he's hitting .417.  His home run yesterday was a moon shot off a left-handed pitcher.  Hopefully some of his early spring success carries over into the regular season beginning in April.

This is one of the many retro-themed inserts available in last year's Topps Archives set.  Howard and Roy Halladay are in last year's set while only Pirates and Red Sox were in the original test issue from 1967.

2003 Topps Phillies

2003 Topps Traded #T107, 2003 Topps #457, #531 and #3

This year was a turning point for the Phillies and their fans.  First, a new ballpark was on the horizon as Citizens Bank Park began to rise in the shadow of the Vet.  2003 was to be the final season in Veterans Stadium and the Phillies marketing crew did a fantastic job of filling each home game with nostalgic looks at the past.  It was fun to go to the games again.

Second, free agent Jim Thome, coming off a 52-home run season with the Indians, signed a six-year deal with the Phillies in December 2002.  The fact that Thome wanted to come to Philly to play for a winner sent shivers down my spine.  We didn't know it at the time, but it was the very beginning of perhaps the best era in Phillies history.

The Set

2003 Topps #160 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  The first and second series contained 720 cards with the Traded & Rookies set adding 275 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  In my last post, I mentioned that I couldn't recall what the 2003 Topps set looked like.  Revisiting the cards now, I realize it was probably my favorite Topps design of the early 2000s, and perhaps all of the 2000s.  The dark blue border is fantastic and the card fronts contain a second player photo, which I've always liked.  Add in a team logo and the player's position, and I'm a happy camper.  I don't even mind the use of gold foil on the fronts of the cards. 

Notable competition:  Fleer, Playoff and Upper Deck were all still churning out dozens of sets.

2003 Topps #160, #604, #485 and #466

2003 Phillies

Record and finish:  For the third straight season, Phillies fans could hold their heads high and relish in the knowledge that at least we were witnessing competitive baseball from the home team.  The Phils finished in third place again with a record of 86-76.  They seemed to be heading for a postseason berth, but a post All-Star break swoon cost them.

Key players:  Thome delivered a monster season, hitting 47 home runs and driving in 131.  Bobby Abreu (.300, 20 home runs, 101 RBIs) and Mike Lieberthal (.313, 13 home runs, 81 RBIs) also had great years at the plate.  Pat Burrell, fresh off a new six-year contract extension, flirted with the Mendoza Line all season and finished with a .209 average.  New third baseman David Bell (.195) also struggled mightily.  Four Phillies starting pitchers had at least 14 wins, led by Randy Wolf's 16.  Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla and Brett Myers all had exactly 14.  Jose Mesa saved 24 games, but also earned the ire of Phillies fans by failing to hold onto several late inning leads throughout the season.

Key events:  Millwood threw a no-hitter against the Giants on April 27th and I was lucky enough to be there with my Dad.  This was the season that manager Larry Bowa's intensity started to wear thin with many of the players.  Following a rough road trip in late August, Bowa tore into the team for their lack of intensity.  A player revolt followed that led to several players dying their hair blonde for some reason and the release of Tyler Houston, who was seen as one of the main instigators.  On a positive note, the last series at the Vet was dubbed the Final Innings and despite the Phillies losing two out of three to Braves, was one of the most memorable weekends of baseball I can remember.  The All Vet team was unveiled on the final Saturday.  Following the final game of the season on Sunday, a cavalcade of former Phillies was introduced during an emotional closing ceremony.  Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw were featured prominently in the closing ceremony.  Schmidt rounded the bases one more time, and called out Thome to join him in his curtain call - a moment Topps would commemorate this moment with a card in its 2004 set.  (The photo at the very bottom right of this post is from right before Thome and Schmidt met at home plate.)

2003 Phillies in 2003 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 14 Phillies cards in series one, another 14 in series two and 7 in the Traded & Rookies set.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 7 cards

#117 Mike Lieberthal (c), #T107 Jim Thome (1b), #531 Placido Polanco (2b), #3 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #604 David Bell (3b), #160 Pat Burrell (lf), #457 Bobby Abreu (rf)

Regular center fielder Marlon Byrd had to share his card with Jorge Padilla on a multi-player Future Stars card.

2003 Topps #76, 2003 Topps Traded #T79, 2003 Topps #260 and #620

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#T79 Kevin Millwood, #260 Vicente Padilla, #76 Randy Wolf, #620 Brett Myers, #37 Brandon Duckworth

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2003 - 9 cards

#86 Terry Adams, #165 Jose Mesa, #428 Ricky Ledee, #466 Jason Michaels, #485 Tomas Perez, #572 Todd Pratt, #592 Dan Plesac, #615 Tyler Houston, #T98 Mike Williams

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 2003 - 7 cards

#155 Marlon Anderson, #242 Robert Person, #296 Il Kim, #484 Bud Smith, #T38 Aaron Myette, #T175 Elizardo Ramirez, #T262 Jay Sitzman

I'm fine with Anderson and Person earning cards.  They had only recently become free agents upon the release of series one.  The inclusion of the group of prospects always bothered me.  Of the group of five, only Ramirez played with the Phillies, appearing in just 7 games with the 2004 team.

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Future Stars cards - 1 card, #322 Marlon Byrd and Jorge Padilla
• Phillies appearing on Prospects cards - 2 cards, #682 Chase Utley and Gavin Floyd, #T135 Taylor Buchholz

What's the difference between a Prospect and a Future Star?

• Phillies appearing on League Leaders cards - 1 card, #346 Pat Burrell
• Draft Pick card - 1 card, #671 Cole Hamels
• Manager card - 1 card, #283 Larry Bowa
• Team card - 1 card, #651

2003 Topps #322, #117 and #682

Who’s out:  Topps did a great job with player selection in this set, omitting only a few key relievers.  Carlos Silva (62 games), Rheal Cormier (65 games, 1.70 ERA) and Turk Wendell (56 games) all got left out.  Byrd was the team's regular center fielder, but he had to share space on a Future Stars card.

Phillies on other teams:  All three veterans appearing on Phillies cards in the traded series appear on their original team in the base set - #64 Mike Williams (Pirates), #71 Jim Thome (Indians) and #219 Kevin Millwood (Braves).

2003 Topps #671

What’s he doing here:  I guess Topps gambled and thought Aaron Myette would be part of the Phillies bullpen in the second half of the 2003 season.  The Phils acquired Myette from the Indians on July 9th, and he played only 11 games with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.

Cards that never were candidates:  There actually aren't many good candidates this year, which is a refreshing change.  I'd give Byrd and Utley solo cards and relievers Cormier, Silva and Wendell should also have cards.

Favorite Phillies card:  There are a lot of great action shots in the set, but the most important Phillies card is that of the team's 2001 first round draft pick - Cole Hamels.  His card features him standing on the field at an empty Veterans Stadium, daydreaming about one day being the World Series MVP.

Other Stuff

Recycled:  The Topps Opening Day set returned for another year, this time with bluish-gray borders.  Topps also used the design, albeit with all white borders, for its new Retired Signature set, which featured retired players.

Blogs/Websites:  I believe I'll retire this particular line item in these Topps Phillies posts.  I'll bring it back if and when anyone ever starts a blog dedicated to any of the Topps sets of the 2000s.

Did You Know?:  Not so much of a "did you know," but rather a "check this out," here is a mini gallery of photos taken during the Final Innings games at The Vet.  (Click to enlarge.)

2011 Topps Pro Debut #20 Cameron Rupp

Blue Jays 11, Phillies 6
Spring Training Game 8 - Saturday Afternoon, March 2nd in Dunedin
Record - 3-4-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Blue Jays outhit the Phillies as both Cliff Lee and Tyler Cloyd got roughed up in the 11-6 loss.

What It Means:  It was a windy day in Dunedin and both Lee and Jays starter R.A. Dickey were victimized with three runs in their three innings of work.

What Went Wrong:  After Lee departed, Cloyd took the brunt of the damage, allowing six runs in his two innings of work.

Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Erik Kratz homered in the losing effort.

Featured Card:  The Phils made the unusual move of adding another non-roster invitee to camp today, bringing catcher Cameron Rupp into the fold.  With Sebastian Valle participating in the World Baseball Classic, the team figured they could use another catcher.  Rupp played in 104 games for High-A Clearwater last season.

I've removed Juan Cruz and Andres Blanco from the list below, since those two players have already cut ties with the Phillies.

Player (position) - 2012 Organization - Last Major Cardboard Appearance

1.  Steven Lerud (c) - Phillies - 2004 Bowman #160 (Pirates)

2.  Michael Martinez (inf) - Phillies - 2012 Topps #64 (Phillies)

3.  Pete Orr (inf) - Phillies - 2008 Topps Update #UH72 (Nationals)

4.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Mariners - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)

5.  Zach Miner (rhp) - Tigers - 2009 O-Pee-Chee #314 (Tigers)

6.  Humberto Quintero (c) - Royals/Marlins/Brewers - 2012 Topps #590 (Astros)

7.  Andres Blanco (inf) - Phillies - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)

8.  Josh Fields (3b) - Dodgers - 2010 Topps #387 (Royals)

9.  Jermaine Mitchell (of) - Athletics - 2012 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autographs #JM (Athletics)

10.  Rodrigo Lopez (rhp) - Cubs - 2007 Topps #348 (Rockies)

11.  Juan Cruz (rhp) - Pirates - 2012 Topps Update #US36 (Pirates)

12.  Aaron Cook (rhp) - Red Sox - 2011 Topps #230 (Rockies)

13.  Cody Asche (3b) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #115 (Phillies)

14.  Justin Friend (rhp) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #153 (Phillies)

15.  Tommy Joseph (c) - Giants/Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP100 (Giants)

16.  Joe Mather (of) - Cubs - 2012 Topps Update #US25 (Cubs)

17.  Adam Morgan (lhp) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #128 (Phillies)

18.  Kyle Simon (rhp) - Orioles/Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP56 (Orioles)

19.  Yuniesky Betancourt (inf) - Royals - 2012 Topps Update #US47 (Royals)

20.  J.C. Ramirez (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP144 (Phillies)

21.  Cameron Rupp (c) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Pro Debut #20 (Phillies)

Camp Head Count:  58 plus 1 = 59, with 7 heading to the WBC so technically, 52.

2012 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #1 Phillippe Aumont

Phillies 10, Yankees 5
Spring Training Game 7 - Friday Afternoon, March 1st in Tampa
Record - 3-3-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils downed the Yankees again as Roy Halladay continued his spring tune-up.

What It Means:  The Phillies accomplished back-to-back wins for the first time this spring, on the strength of both good pitching and timely hitting.

What Went Right:  Halladay pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits while striking out three. It seems most of the chatter after the game surrounded Phillippe Aumont and his inning of scoreless work.  Aumont's velocity was in the mid-90s and he displayed good command.  He, along with Pete Orr and Tyson Gillies, departed camp after the game to report to Team Canada in preparation of the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Jimmy Rollins had a two-run double and John Mayberry, Jr. knocked in three runs.

2012 Topps Heritage
Minor League Real
One Autographs #ROA-SV

Featured Cards:  My feelings on the World Baseball Classic are similar to my feelings on the annual pre-All Star Game Home Run Derby.  Meh.

Maybe it's different for the fans of other competing countries, but I don't know any American baseball fans who are thrilled with the upcoming tournament.  I suppose its intended purpose is to unify the world through baseball, but the cynical side of me sees it as as nothing more than a money grab by Bud Selig.  And like it or not, we baseball card collectors can expect to see a glut of WBC-themed cards in upcoming Topps products.  Meh again.

For the record, here are the members of the Phillies organization participating in the WBC which kicked off last night in Taiwan.  Selfishly, I'd rather Aumont continue his spring in Clearwater but I wish him well in the tournament.

Australia - Tim Kennelly (c)
Brazil - Lucas Rojo (inf)
Canada - Phillippe Aumont (rhp), Tyson Gillies (of), Jay Johnson (lhp) and Pete Orr (inf)
Dominican Republic - Juan Samuel (coach)
Mexico - Rodrigo Lopez (rhp) and Sebastian Valle (c)
USA - Jimmy Rollins (ss)
Venezuela - Cesar Jimenez (lhp)

Ernie Whitt, the Phillies minor league catching coordinator, is the manager for Team Canada.

2012 Topps Heritage #161 Ryan Howard

Phillies 10, Braves 5
Spring Training Game 6 - Thursday Afternoon, February 28th in Clearwater
Record - 2-3-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils banged out 13 hits and Cole Hamels had another strong outing as the Phils won easily, 10-5.

What It Means:  The offense lives!

What Went Right:  Hamels worked three innings, striking out five.  Ryan Howard and John Mayberry, Jr. both homered and knocked in a pair of runs.  Michael Young had two RBIs as well.

Through the first six games of the spring, Howard (hitting .533) and Domonic Brown (.417) own the hottest bats on the team.  Howard, Brown and Mayberry are the only three Phillies to have appeared in every spring game so far.

Featured Card:  I'm in a Heritage-ish mood these days as we await the release of the 2013 Topps Heritage set.  This is Howard's card from last year's 1963-themed set.